Can Bed Bugs Be Beaten?

For the introduction of this guide, I wanted to write a couple words on the emotional toll bed bugs will take on your mental state and provide comfort in the fact that these bugs can be beaten.

Like I mentioned, bed bugs are psychologically, one of the worst bugs that you might ever come across, causing anxiety, sleepless nights, and increased overall stress.

Female bed bugs reproduce at about 1 egg per day, which take 10 days to hatch and 5 more weeks to grow into an adult. Left unattended, bed bugs can quickly infest your bed or nearby fixtures. What's worse is that bed bugs can infest nearby apartments or floors, which may result in an infestation you never created!

Three Of The Biggest Reasons For Bed Bug Infestations:

Bad advice from the internet

Incompetent exterminators

Resistance to bed bug bites (thus you don't know you have a problem until it's to late)

Despite the inherent difficulty in removing these terrible insects, there are proven ways to kill bed bugs without an exterminator. At certain infestation levels you will need to call an exterminator, and we'll cover later in this guide how to vet your exterminator before having them come out.

That being said, below I've listed a bed bug removal success story to provide that glimmer of hope some of you might need.

A Bed Bug ﻿Success﻿ Story

DETAILS: This is a story of with a mother with an ex-husband who has bed bugs and her son who brought them over.

THE STORY: The son had come home one day from the ex-husband's house with bug bites around his midsection. At the time, the mother thought the bed bug bites were mosquito bites, perhaps fleas, but not bed bugs. The ex-husband had cats, so it could have also been just an allergic reaction to the the dander right?

Fast forward a couple weeks, and the son was still getting "allergic reactions", so things started to get suspicious. Eventually the mother spotted a mysterious bug on her own bed, killed it, and promptly searched Google for images.

Confirmed. Bed bugs.

The next morning, she called an exterminator out to evaluate the situation. They had a team of 6 exterminators inspect the entire house, check every crack, crevice, and crawl space a bed bug might go.

The exterminators found that the couch in den where the son slept was the only point of infestation.

With This In Mind The Mom Had Two Options:

Treat room and furniture

Treat room and throw away furniture

The couch was old so mom went with option #2 tossing both the infested couch, the love seat next to it, and the area rug (good decision).

Once the furniture was removed, the exterminators removed all the baseboards and sprayed Bedlam insecticide on all the cracks and crevices in the room. They then took off all the face plates in the room and used a duster to apply insecticide powder.

After the room was treated, the exterminators instructed mom to leave the room bare until the follow-up appointment in 2 weeks.

During the follow-up, the exterminators re-checked the room for signs of bed bugs.

No bed bugs... victory...?

...Not so fast.

A couple weeks after the follow-up, mom noticed one bed bug crawling on the living room couch. The fight was not over.

Through her own research, she decided to go out and buy CimeXa (a "green" insecticide), a duster (extremely important), brushes for application, and mattress encasements for all the beds. Mom dusted the entire house and then had a relative assist with the encasements. During the encasement installation, mom noticed 3 dead nymphs on the box spring desiccated (dried up) due to the use of the dusting. During an inspection of her living room, mom also noticed a dried up adult bed bug under the chair.

OVERALL: It took an initial extermination to remove the majority of the bed bugs, then the use of insecticide, dusters, and mattress encasements to finish the job about a month later.

How To Prevent Bed Bugs?

In order to keep bed bugs out of your life, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Taking a few key steps to prevent bed bugs from ever coming into your life can potentially save you thousands of dollars and significant emotional stress.

1. Travel light and inspect your room upon arrival

If bed bugs are going to come into your life, the most likely of scenarios involves you traveling somewhere and bringing them back in your luggage.

Bed bugs don't typically hitchhike on your physical body due to their aversion to warmth, but will take refuge on your clothes or assorted belongings in your bags.

Avoid placing luggage on or around the beds but rather use the luggage stands

Use a steamer or insecticide designed for fabric to spray your luggage

Place pest strips inside your luggage after use and leave the luggage in your garage or some other isolated space

Unload stored clothes from trash bags directly into the washer and dryer

Consider alternative heat treatment options

A lot of advice includes checking the mattress and box spring for bed bugs as soon as you arrive to the room, which is good advice. We even talked to Mike Fischer, owner of Fischer's Pest Control in Las Vegas who says bed bugs are very common in high tourist areas (like Las Vegas).

However, just because you spot something doesn't automatically mean it's bed bugs.

Further emphasizing the points from above, putting the clothes you used during travel directly into the washer and dryer could help eliminate any bed bugs you bought with you. The University Of Minnesota ﻿breaks this process into three main steps:

Sorting Infested Clothes: Separate dry-clean-only clothes and other clothes into multiple piles. Dry-clean-only clothes can't be washed but they can be put into the dryer on high heat. Bag up the clothes and migrate (carefully) to the laundry room.

Washing And Drying: Empty each bag into the washer/dryer (dryer only for dry-cleaning). Dispose of the transporting bags and seal in separate clean bags.

Sorting Clean Clothes: Once the clothes are clean, fold and put away if your home is deemed bug free. If you're home has bed bugs, separate and/or seal the clean clothes in bags and store until the house is safe.

Apply Direct Heat: Alternatively to washer/dryer, you could buy a product that would apply direct heat treatment to your belongings when you suspect bed bugs. These products cut out the need for washer/dryer and usually stand on their own.

Additional Resource On Bed Bug Prevention

3. Avoid second-hand furniture/clothes

Using Craigslist for your second hand furniture purchasing needs may sound like a great idea, but it also begs the question... bed bugs?

I would recommend you entirely avoid second hand furniture or anything else second hand unless you're heavily aware of the item's past ownership. But if you can't pass up a good deal (I know I can't) Dr. Peek from Oklahoma ﻿﻿﻿University put together a couple key ways to go about prevention:

Sofas And Chairs: Inspect the under the cushions, seams, push down on the springs, and look under the item for black spots. After you buy, consider using a steamer to heat up the item (bed bugs hate heat) and leaving them in an isolated location with bed bug traps.

Clothes: For second hand clothes, the same treatment applies as if you were traveling. Wash and dry your clothes with as much heat as possible without ruining the fabric.

What to lookout for with bed bugs?

This picture ﻿illustrates﻿ black fecal spots "feces" left behind ﻿by﻿ bed bugs on the corner of a mattress. If you're buying any furniture second hand, keep an eye out for these spots. Here are a bunch more pictures of bed bugs in case you need to see any more examples of what to look out for!

When buying second hand anything from anyone, you should always ask probing questions as far as item history and/or usage. If you're buying from a thrift shop, ask them if they do anything to clothes that come into the store. If any sort of heat treatment is involved when new goods arrive, that is good sign.

4. Be aware of the early signs

Being able to spot the early signs of bed bugs could mean the difference from a full extermination and killing one bed bug to eliminate the threat. The key is knowing what those early signs look like and what to do about them when you see them. Some early bed bug warning signs include:

Bed Bug Bites

At the start of an infestation, you might get only one or two bed bug bites. But the problem is that they look like and feel almost exactly like mosquito bites, so in the beginning when you're only getting a few, it's easy to write them off and to not care. In my experience, bed bug bites, are WAY itchier than mosquito bites, take significantly longer to fully heal, and are prone to scaring.

Stains On Your Sheets

A second early sign that indicates bed bugs would be stains on your sheets. After bed bugs take a bit of your blood, they attempt to escape, occasionally, you might roll over them, or squish them as they make their exit.

Squishing a bed bug full of blood will of course result in blood on your sheets. This blood should be an early indicator to watch out for.

That's not to say every time there is blood on your sheet, it's bed bugs, but it's just another early sign to be aware of.

What about mattress encasements for bed bugs?

Encasements (box spring and mattress) we're originally created to help with dust mites, but have been re-purposed as a bed bug solution. As for usefulness, there's generally two schools of thought.

Bird Bugs Vs Bed Bugs

Bird bugs (also known as "bird mites" or "bird lice") look very similar to bed bugs up close, but they are much smaller resembling "black pepper". An adult bird mite is about .5 mm whereas an adult bed bug is 5mm.

They tend to feed on birds but if the bird dies or leaves it nest, they may crawl into your house in search for a blood meal. According to a Swedish Study, bird bugs are capable of living up to 9 months without re-feeding, so eliminating them once an infestation has begun can be troubling.

What're the differences between bird bugs and bed bugs?

Bird bugs are much smaller than bed bugs (see picture above)

Bird bugs live on their hosts while bed bugs bite and leave back to their hiding spot

Bird bugs do not have fecal traces

Bird bugs prefer birds but will search for alternative food sources when their primary host dies

Bird bugs can not reproduce on human blood

How To Find Them?: If you think you have bird bugs, check your pets first to see if they're living on them. Check also your attic, your gutters, and any adjacent tress which might be coming in contact with your house. They are parasites so the first step to eliminating bird bugs would be to find their source and/or their host and remove it.

Bat Bugs Vs Bed Bugs

Bat bugs a close cousin to the bed bug.

It's often ﻿stated that ﻿bed bugs are a descendant to the ﻿bat﻿ bug who fed on cave-dwelling humans years ago.

Bat bugs are the most common type of bugs that are mistaken for bed bugs.

Bat bugs heavily rely on bats for their main source of food and similar to bird bugs, can not reproduce on human blood.

What're the differences between bat bugs and bed bugs?

Bat bugs hair length is longer than a bed bug's

Bat bugs can only reproduce on bat blood

How To Find Them?: If you think you have bat bugs, immediately check your attic, basement, cellar and/or any other harboring location they might have gotten access too. Once the bats have been removed, your bat bug problem shou﻿﻿﻿ld begin to wane with the use of residual sprays and powders to any cracks and crevices in your home.

Fleas Vs Bed Bugs

People often mistake fleas for being bed bugs, not because they look like bed bugs, but just because they’re in your bed and biting you leaving similar bite marks. Despite their similarities, fleas and bed bugs do have distinct differences.

Fleas were partially responsible for killing thousands of people during the black plague. They would get infected through biting rats and transmit the disease to humans. Everyone reacts differently when bitten by fleas. Some people will break out into large rashes, where others just have some itchy red spots.

How to find them?: If you have fleas you should first look to your pets and then any other animals that may have taken residence in your home.

Pets: If you have pets, it’s likely that they fleas are from outside, at the vet, or from another pet or animal. Once your pet catches them, they’ll likely start spreading in their bedding or other areas where they sleep. Most of you reading this probably let your pets sleep with you at night, which will result in you also catching fleas. If this is the case, I recommend shampooing your pet with approved insecticide, cleaning their sleeping area, and investing in a flea collar. Consider also placing flea traps around the sleeping area, which would catch the fleas to confirm there is in fact a problem.

Other Animals: If you don’t have pets, you can still catch fleas through squirrels or other rodents that may live in your attic or crawl spaces. This is why it's vitally important for homeowners to seal up access points to their homes!

Mosquitoes Vs Bed Bugs

Mosquitoes are another common insect to confused bed bugs for. For most people, they might want to convince themselves that they are being bit by mosquitoes rather than face the reality that bed bugs have invaded their lives.

The thing is, there aren’t a lot of major differences between mosquito bites and bed bug bites, which makes it difficult to assess based simply on the bite. That being said, you need to look more at circumstantial evidence to make a determination if it’s a bed bug that’s ailing you.

For example, do you live in Florida without any windows screens? Chances are that mosquitoes are feasting on you.

What’re The Differences?

Mosquito bites appear almost instantly after bite

Mosquito bites resolve much quicker than bed bug bites

Mosquitoes transmit diseases (Zika, etc)

Mosquito bites are random and tend to be isolated to only areas of exposed skin (bed bugs can crawl under your clothes while you sleep)

How to find them? Mosquitoes can be a real nuisance if you have them. Some common mosquito removal tips include removing standing water sources around your house. These water sources provide a habitat for mosquitoes to thrive and reproduce. Removing these water sources in conjunction with other methods to getting rid of mosquitoes will alleviate your mosquito troubles.

Confirming You Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures, rarely seen during the day. To correctly confirm if you have bed bugs you should preferably catch one so that you can show a professional, but if you can’t, the key signs of bed bugs are as follows:

In my experience, the bite marks left from bed bugs are much more itchy that mosquito bites and stay for a longer period of time. Also, the bed bug bites typically left miniature scars in the areas where I was bitten.

Also consider using bed bug traps that can be placed underneath your bed at night. These traps have a powder like substance that make it difficult for bed bugs to climb up your bed and instead capture them in a bowl. Once they're captured you can easily show an exterminator to correctly identify your problem.

Below is a video that goes into depth on finding bed bugs so you can get rid of them.

How To Identify Bed Bug Bites?

So you’ve gotten through the first two sections and feel mostly comfortable that you have bed bugs. So what does it all mean?

Now you have determined that bed bugs are your problem, this section will talk all about what it means to be bitten by a bed bug, what bites from bed bugs look like, and how to treat bites when bitten.

What do bed bug bites look like? And why do they itch?

When a bed bug bites you, it will leave a similar mark to that of a mosquito or flea, which is why it is hard to ascertain the nature of the bug infestation you have simply from a bite.

You’ll likely develop a swollen red lump area, which will itch and remind you that you have a pest problem.

Bed bug bites (and mosquito bites) itch because you are allergic to the anticoagulant the bugs use to prevent you from feeling the bite itself.

What’s interesting about bed bug bites is that not everyone will react to them, and some people will never get a red bump to indicate that there is a problem.

The range of your allergic reaction will depend on many genetic factors. Entomologist Michael Potter ﻿notes that over 30% of people will never react to a bed bug bite. What's really bad is that if you aren’t allergic to bed bugs, you’ll never notice you have them until you start actually seeing them, and if you start seeing them, you can bet that there is a full blown infestation somewhere.

Should You Worry About Diseases If Bitten By A Bed Bug?

Generally, you should not worry about that actual bite of a bed bug. It has been said that bed bugs contain certain neutralizing factors, which reduce the chance they'll transmit diseases. That being said, bed bugs are not known carriers of many diseases but there are a few exceptions.

For example, a study published by Oxford University Press found that bed bugs were the likely cause of sickness associated with a 67 year old man, where he developed rashes and skin irritations after being bit by many bed bugs.

Another study published by Austral Entomology cited two researchers who purposely let bed bugs bite them and developed skin rashes, hives, and itching. They began to feel lethargic and had bouts of profuse sweating. What’s strange is that these researchers have been bitten before with minimal reaction.

Assuming you don’t have a significant allergic reaction to bed bugs, you’ll probably be okay if you have a number of bed bites. Aside from scratching and a little emotional distress, you’ll heal without the need from special medicine.

For more information about the dangers of bed bugs, checkout this article where we break down the topic even more!

Bed Bug Warning

Going through this guide, I'm sure some of you are itching to take things into your own hands. You just want this problem to go away as soon as possible, thus you go out and buy some sprays and start fumigating your house. I get it, we are human and we like instant results. But DIY bed bug removal is not recommended. It is highly likely you'll end up making the problem worse. ​

How To Treat Bed Bug Bites?

If you have bed bug bites, the best way to treat them is to avoid scratching the area and apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine.

Most doctors will prescribe treatments for the itch rather than the bite itself, which usually subsides in about a week.

I will say from personal experience that bed bug bites tend to last a long time, much longer than mosquito bites. When finally healed, they may leave miniature scars. The scars did go away, but I was worried for a bit. After being bit by mosquitoes most of my life, you can definitely tell a difference when a bed bug is biting you. It’s hard to explain but there are nuances to the bite that will trigger you to think that the issue might be something other than mosquitos.

Once that fear creeps in, the hunt is on to find the threat. In this case, bed bugs.

So, How Do You Go About Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs?

At this point in the guide, you have decided that you have a problem.

The bed bugs have bitten you and you need to get rid of them asap. This section will outline exactly the steps to take to get rid of bed bugs, how to go about finding an exterminator, and the do’s and don’ts when it comes to getting rid of bed bugs.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

Below I outline the steps you should take once you've determined there is probably a bed bug problem in your house.

1. Remain Calm

When you realize you have bed bugs, the worst thing you can do is to over react and start going on a house decontaminating rampage, filling your house with poisonous insecticides, and/or pointing the blame for the bed bug infestation at your husband or children. Bed bugs are a nuisance, yes, but now that they're here, the most prudent use of your energy would be to remain calm and take the necessary steps to remove them.

I keep emphasizing the theme of staying calm all throughout this guide because it is so vitally important to exterminating bed bugs.

2. Inspect your mattress and box spring

After you've established a certain level of calmness, you can begin the self-assessment phase of bed bug removal.

The first place you should look in assessing the damage is your mattress and box spring. University Of Kentucky did a study of 13 infested apartments, which found that if you have bed bugs, there's a 70% chance that the bed bugs are probably in your mattress, box spring, or headboard (see figure).

If nothing else, this information should encourage you to go out and buy a mattress encasement!

Regardless of whether you find any bed bugs in your mattress or not, you should take proactive measures to clean and quarantine everything in and around your house. Once the infected areas are cleaned, more invasive chemical treatments can be deployed by trained professionals.

Make a plan on how you will isolate and clean each item in your room.

Clothes/Plush Items: All of your clothes that don't have to be dry cleaned should be bagged up and washed/dried on the highest heat setting. At about 120 degrees, all the bed bugs and their eggs will die. Once cleaned, bag up the clothes and isolate it your house. Just be warned, that it is possible for bed bugs to escape through the holes in your dryer (see the 3rd bullet below for alternative solutions).

Toys/Hard Items: Items that can't be washed should be place in air tight containers that will stop bed bugs from getting in or out of the item. Once ready you can specifically treat each container.

Consider Heat Treatment Cases: If you have toys or clothes you think might have bed bugs, there are alternative options that apply direct heat ensuring bed bug killing success. For example, there are cases that you could buy to put your clothes inside. When activated, the case would apply direct heat to the product killing any hiding pests (bed bugs, fleas, etc). They can be pricey, but the relief of knowing your belongings are bed bug free is quite comforting. Here's a guide we have on heat treatment for your belongings.

Once you've isolated your belongings and inspected your mattress for bed bugs, make sure to wipe down and vacuum every crack and crevice in your house. The contents of your vacuum should be sealed in a plastic bag and disposed of.

At this point, you've probably did about 90% of what you should do before calling an exterminator for professional assistance. The key is knockout the obvious areas of your house.

Below is a useful video that goes into more depth about the bed bug problem in Los Angeles more tips on getting rid of bed bugs.

4. Hiring A Bed Bug ﻿﻿Exterminator﻿﻿ ﻿Or Pest Control Operator (PCO)

When you decide it's time to call an exterminator to help with your bed bug problem you should educate yourself on the proper questions to ask so that you guarantee you find a competent professional. Given the boom of the bed bug infestations, there are a lot of new exterminators that claim to know how to eliminate a bed bug problem, when in reality, they don't.

Far too often, people settle for the first exterminator the see on Craigslist or Google and fail to ask qualifying questions before hiring. People tend to be emotional when they have a bed bug problem, thus the hiring process isn't thoughtfully planned out. Sometimes this works and you'll get lucky, but more often you'll end up with an exterminator that isn't so great at exterminating. If this happens, you'll only increase the level of emotional stress you'll have to deal with and potentially exacerbate your bed bug problem.

To avoid potential issues here are the "must ask" questions when hiring an exterminator for your bed bug problem.

Are they licensed by the state? You can validate their answer through your State's Department of Agriculture. Search on the website or give the clerk's office a call.

Do they have references? Consider also validating their references through your own research (Google, Yelp, LinkedIn) to make sure they're authentic.

What is the company's guarantee? Bed bugs are notoriously hard to get rid of and companies who aren't confident in their service will give you an excuse why they don't offer guarantees. Connected apartments and condos are difficult, but a reputable company should be able to guarantee service on free standing homes.

Do they have liability insurance? If no, cross them off your list... fast.

How long do the treatments last? Thorough bed bug treatments should last anywhere between 1-2 hours.

How many treatments is included in their price? There should be at least two treatments. The first treatment, then the second follow-up two weeks later. If they quote more than two treatments, that might be an indicator of an inexperienced bed bug exterminator (be careful).

Do their bed bug treatments consist of ONLY insecticides? Bed bugs have been shown to be more resilient against insecticides, thus exterminators should be aware of alternative methods (e.g., steam treatments, encasements, etc).

Does the treatment cover the entire house? Bed bugs will definitely centralize near their hosts, but if you have family members chances are they're going to be everywhere and your treatments should cover this.

What is their inspection/application process? A reputable bed bug exterminator would never apply insecticide to an area he or she hasn't thoughtfully inspected.

A Note About Bed Bug Exterminators

At the end of the day, when you're evaluating your bed bug exterminator, you need to be listening for confident and detailed responses. Most people can lie in their responses, but if you listen carefully and call 4-6 exterminators, you'll hear a difference. Checkout this guide where we explain the differences between exterminating companies.

The Do's and Don'ts of Bed Bug Removal

This section is to level set you regardless of what stage of removal you’re at. Whether you’ve just gotten your first bite, or you’ve in the middle of a full extermination, please review the below do’s and don’ts and familiarize yourself.

The Do's

Use Heat Treatments

Deploy Bed Bug Traps

Wash/Dry Clothes With High Heat

Check Your Mattress And Box Spring For Infestations

Buy A Mattress Encasement

Use Silica Gels

Vet And Qualify Potential Exterminators

The Don'ts

Use Foggers

Try To Handle The Infestation On Your Own

Sleep In Various Locations Or Abandon Rooms

Throw Away Your Belongings

Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Do Not Start Releasing Insecticides Into Your House

The Bed Bug Do's

Use Heat treatment: It is a known fact that bed bugs HATE heat, which is one of the main reasons, they don’t like to hang out on your body, but rather retreat after a blood meal. Using steamers for your luggage or the heat from your dryer for clothes are a great preventative ways to rid yourself of bed bugs. Consider also other standalone heat emitting devices.

Use Bed Bug Traps: Bed bug traps are a great tool to capture and identify a bed bug threat if you think you have a problem. Unfortunately, most bed bug traps only work if the bed bugs aren’t already living in your mattress, but if you’re sure the mattress is clean, then using bed bug traps can be a great resource to capture a few live bed bugs to show your exterminator and validate the issue. Click here for our recommended bed bug traps.

Wash/Dry Clothes With High Heat: Utilizing your washer/dryer to kill and eliminate all the bed bugs that may have found a home in your clothes during travel is a great idea. Just be sure to store the clothes in a safe isolated location away from any potential re-infestation. Also understand that bed bugs 'could' escape in your washer/dryer if you're not careful. There are other methods to apply direct heat to the bed bug (such as a standalone case) that can reduce the chance of that happening.

Check Your Mattress And Box Spring For Infestations: It's a known fact that bed bugs like to reside in your mattress, which makes it the first place to check if you think you have an infestation. Specifically, check the seams, under and around the box spring, and the heard board.

Use A Mattress Encasement: Remember that tip I gave you about bed bug traps? If you actively use mattress encasements, not only do you protect your potentially expensive mattress and box spring, but you force bed bugs to walk up the legs of your bed. If they walk up the legs of your bed, simply laying down bed bug traps will capture them before they can reach you. As I mentioned earlier, there is some debate over the usefulness of encasements because they definitely do not stop bed bugs from infesting but rather force them to live in other locations. Click here for our recommended encasements and covers.

Vet And Qualify Potential Exterminators: As I mentioned in the above section, the difference between hiring the right exterminator and the wrong exterminator for your bed bug problem could be the difference between a couple weeks of emotional stress versus a couple of months of emotional stress. When picking an exterminator you NEED to be skeptical and have the professional prove they are qualified.

The Bed Bug Don'ts

Use Foggers: Foggers have a place in the battle against pests, namely for mosquitos, but that’s about it. A study published by The Journal Of Economic Entomology concluded that bed bugs are among the worst pests you can use foggers on because the fog itself doesn’t penetrate the cracks and crevices bed bugs hide in. By using foggers, you’ll almost always end up doing more damage to yourself and your home than you will against the bed bugs.

Try To Handle The Infestation On Your Own: If you haven’t found out already, bed bugs are extremely resilient bugs and among the toughest to completely eliminate. You will face physical and emotional stress because these bugs are in your life. Even if you notice just one bug, it’s best to call in an exterminator as soon as your suspicions begin to rise, because the longer you wait, the larger the bed bug problem will become (one female bed bug can lay up to 5 eggs per day).

Sleep In Various Locations Or Abandon Rooms: Bed bugs live near their host, so if you decide to sleep on your couch instead of your bed, chances are the bed bugs will follow you to your new sleeping location and infest your couch or a nearby chair. The best thing for you to do if you suspect bed bugs is to sleep in the same bed and not to move and risk spreading the infestation further.

Throw Away Your Belongings: At a certain point during the infestation you might be so worn out by the bugs and their lack of eradication that you’ll find no other option then to begin throwing out your personal belongings suspecting that they contain bed bugs. I know of a number of people who threw out their entire book collection because they thought they were infected with bed bugs. You should consult your exterminator to ask what the best course of action is regarding your belongings and which items should and should not be thrown out.

Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE): DE is what’s known as a desiccant, which wears away the waxy coating of the bed exoskeleton resulting in drying up and death. In a 2013 study published by PCT Magazine, they reviewed the effects of using DE on bed bugs. Their study evaluated 6 infested apartments in central Kentucky where only DE was used to treat the apartments. In 5 of 6 of the apartments during the treatment, the amount of bed bugs actually INCREASED. It can be said that the use of DE may have slowed the increase, but regardless, the results were not good. As an alternative, use a silica gel, which has been seen to have much better results on most strains of bed bugs. Checkout this guide where we breakdown everything you need to know about Diatomaceous Earth benefits and safety.

Using Insecticides Yourself: Similar to #2, but I wanted to drive the point home, you may want to take matters into your own hands and go out buying all the insecticides and chemicals that you can. This is a BAD idea and you will end up making the bed bug problem worse and probably end up getting yourself sick.

Start Using other Chemicals: Sometimes people will look to other chemicals such as Lysol, bleach, boric acid, or ammonia to help kill bed bugs. This is a bad idea and will almost always result in someone getting sick.

Diatomaceous Earth Warning

DE can be a valid natural bed bug removal solution and has worked for people in the past in conjunction with other pest removal strategies.

We list it in the “Don’t” column mainly due it’s ease of improper use. For example, DE is a powdery substance and is easy to over apply, which would result in bed bugs walking around it instead of through it. DE is also extremely dangerous to inhale, but you wouldn’t know that until months (or years) later when you have lung issues.

If you want to use DE, you should be wearing a mask, applying a very light film in an area that will be undisturbed (e.g., not near a window or hallway where people walk passed it). DE is a great product that works on many different bugs, but when it comes to bed bugs, you might want to pass on it for a different solution.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bed Bugs

For the section of this guide, I put together a list of the most popular questions on the internet regarding bed bugs as well as their answers. If you're particular bed bug question wasn't answered in the sections above, check the below FAQs. Need something else answered? Leave a comment down below and i'll add it here.

How soon after my 1st treatment can I get rid of my stuff: I would recommend you don't get rid of any of your stuff unless it is heavily infested and recommended by your bed bug exterminator.

Are green insecticides effective?A study published in 2014 by Mississippi State ﻿University examined the effectiveness of "green" insecticides and concluded most were not effective treatments for bed bugs. The only "green" insecticides that were deemed effective enough to recommend where CimeXa, Alpine Dust, and BBT-2000.

What kind of luggage should I buy to minimize my chance of bed bugs? Hard luggage without zipper.

How to detect whether I have bed bugs? Look for skin castings on your floor, black fecal stains in or around your mattress, and blood marks on your bed sheets.

How to rule out fleas, mosquitos, other bugs? The best way to rule out other bugs without actually seeing a bed bug is to look at the contextual circumstances. For example, if you sleep near your pets every night you might have fleas. If you leave your windows open without screens you might have mosquitoes. If you've been traveling a bit, you might have bed bugs.

Can you identify a bed bug by it's bite? No, a bite alone will not be enough to positively identify a bed bug.

Where do bed bugs come from? Generally, bug bugs will either enter your home through adjacent homes or after traveling. Bed bugs can crawl in-between houses and hide in suitcases. See this guide for more information on bed bug causes.

Where do bed bugs hide? Bed bugs are great at hiding in small spaces. Check your box spring, seams of your mattress, button of your mattress, head board, furniture near your bed, and the molding/baseboard on your floor near the bed.

What do bed bugs eat? Bed bugs feed on human blood mostly but have been known to also feed on other mammals in the absence of humans.

Who covers the cost of bed bug extermination, the tenant or landlord? The answer to this is that is varies from state to state as well as who is at fault for introducing the bed bugs into the dwelling (especially multi-unit housing). In general, states tend to side with the tenant and place the burden on the landlord. If you are a tenant worried about the cost of a potential bed bug infestation, renter's insurance should be able to cover the costs.

Why do bed bug bites itch? Most people are allergic to the anticoagulant used by bed bugs, thus when people are bitten, you get a red swollen area where the bite is.

I know someone who isn't affected by bed bug bites why is that? Surprisingly 1/3 people aren't affected by bed bug bites. This can actually be a bad thing because if you have bed bugs but don't know it, you could potentially have a growing bed bug infestation going undisturbed. Bed bug bites are a great way to catch an infestation early on.

Conclusion & Final Thoughts About Bed Bugs

So there you go, how to get rid of bed bugs, a complete guide.

In case you missed it, I covered how to prevent bed bugs, how to identify bed bugs, and the steps to get rid of bed bugs.

Bed bugs are a truly terrifying insect with exception hiding skills. Don't be overwhelmed by the bugs however. Simply, follow the steps laid out in the guide above and you'll be prepared for any bed bug infestation.

Other Bed Bug Guides

Curious about other bed bugs guides? Check out our other detailed guides to help you deal with your pest problems.

You're frustrated.Exhausted.Stressed out!Bed bugs, your worst nightmare terrorizing you without an end in sight.Or maybe not?Everyone knows that bed bugs[...]